Luxembourg’s recent Orientation Days have placed a spotlight on the Council of Europe’s work to combat racism and promote inclusion: values that are fundamental to the event’s theme of “living together”.
The Orientation Days, held at the European Convention Centre, take place twice a year and bring together key players from the public sector, associations, and civil society, to engage with newcomers to Luxembourg and help them to settle into their new country.
For around 900 signatories of the “Reception and Integration Contract” or “Biergerpakt”, the Orientation Day was an opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity, intercultural understanding, and anti-racism, in a multilingual and multi-ethnic democratic society; an objective that underpins the work of the Council of Europe and its committees of experts, including the Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI). The Council of Europe was invited to host an awareness and information stand, United Around our Values, in view of the Organisation’s 75th anniversary and Luxembourg’s upcoming Presidency of its Committee of Ministers (November 2024 to May 2025).
The event was the first edition of the Orientation Days since the renaming of the government ministry charged with living together as the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees, and the entry into force of a new law on intercultural living together on 1 January 2024.
“These Orientation Days are typical of the policy of living together that has been developed by the Luxembourg government, to ensure that in a multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society with 180 nationalities and almost 50% of the resident population who are not Luxembourgers, all can live together in the same community without having to go through the integration process” said Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe.
A new resident, Lucía Leglise, attended the event and stressed that “Not only does the event allow us to get to know the culture, but it is also introducing the concept of living together and actually making sure that you can be who you are. We relocated about one and a half year ago and it is the only country that does this sort of initiative”.
Patrick Engelberg Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe
Lucía Leglise – New resident, Luxembourg
